First winter weather advisory of the season issued for INW

SPOKANE, Wash. – Here we go! Wednesday night we saw the first winter weather advisory of the season go into effect.

Snow is expected for higher elevations such as Lookout Pass and Dobson Pass, primarily in areas of higher elevation along the Northern Idaho Panhandle. Officials are expecting one to three inches of snow, and that is likely to cause travel difficulties. The National Weather Service suggests residents or anyone passing through the region should plan on slippery roads and limited visibility through 11:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.

Snow is not expected yet for lower elevations in Eastern Washington, but in years past we have seen snow around this time of October.

Let's take a look at our snow stats:

The earliest it has ever snowed in Spokane was in September, back in the 1920s. We do not really expect the real deal until at least mid-November. But, a trace amount of snow has been recorded many times as early as October in the 2000s. Measurable snowfall is considered half an inch and above.

Since 1970, earliest measurable snowfall was 0.7" on October 12, 2001. Since 1900, earliest measurable snowfall was 1.4" on September 23, 1926.

If you'll remember, Snowpacolypse in 2008-09 still holds the record for snowiest Spokane winter with more than 90 inches of snow.

Last winter, 2016-17, Spokane was one of the snowiest cities in the country. We had more snow than Buffalo, Boston and Minneapolis.

There is no snow in Spokane's forecast this week, for now.

The Storm Tracker 2 Team will continue to monitor the long-rage models very closely. Tom Sherry’s Winter Forecast will air in early November. It will have the most complete and updated long range winter forecast in the area.

This is not the first time North Idaho and Western Montana have seen snow this season, but it is the first time they have gotten a winter weather advisory! Stay warm out there, folks!